Indica Xeta Vs. Wagon R Vs. Santro

[justchells]

Hi,

I'm buying a car for the first time. I did the first step of deciding my budget - 4.5L (on-road + required accessories). Then I narrowed down to the cars mentioned in the subject line. I removed Alto because of the space factor.

Here's the price list including the discounts: (based on dealers in bangalore)

Santro XO - 4.34L (4K discount + MP3 player)
Wagon R Lxi - 4.06L (15K discount)
Indica Xeta GLS - 3.43L (24K discount + accessories worth 5K)

Regd Santro - proven petrol vehicle, excellent for city driving, best resale value in this segment. More expensive though. Reason why I'm considering XO rather than XL is because I believe that XO would fetch me better resale value. Is my assumption correct?

Regd Wagon R - an all rounder in terms of resale and pricing, better service or cheaper spares due to Maruti. its looks are not so great. I could go in for Vxi, but somehow I liked the instrument panel of Lxi better, which only has the speedometer.

Regd Indica Xeta - excellent pricing, best in terms of space. only concern is the resale, because Tata has a bad name for its petrol vehicles. also, pickup is not as good as Santro, city driving is also comparatively difficult. I'm considering the top end models because the only reason I will go for this car is the price.

All this research has only made me more confused. I need some advice on which car to choose. Please help!

[DCEite]

It all depends on your priority.

For best in class comfort and space: Xeta
For best in class driveability and gearbox: Santro
For best fuel efficiency, decent performance and decent ride quality: WagonR

Now take your pick.

[abhilashvk]

If I were to choose the car from the above ones, I would choose Wagon R because of the factors mentioned plus the additional 1 to 2 km mileage per litre it gives over a Santro. Since you do not like the looks of Wagon R go for Santro XO. I believe its the fully loaded vesion. You have not mentioned whether you will be driving in the city or highways , based on which you can decide to opt for ABS or not.

[Eddy]

Any reasons whay are you not considering Zen Estilo, Spark and the Swift ?

[GeekSrik]

justchells,

always when you post, please mention what is important for YOU !! is it money? are you stranded for say just 3.5 lacs? then are you looking for anything in particular? space/fe etc. if you comment on this, helping you becomes very easy since you know which three cars you need! and BTW, if cash isnt on top of your list but the xeta is, then why not the palio Stile? that also is managed by tata!

so write up man.

[invincible7]

a question here.. does Santro comes with ABS... i think they dont.. correct me if its wrong..

[ravibhat]

Palio stile is very good choice right now in this segment! It has everything you need. No more service issues and parts non availability fear now. with Tata backed up fiat cars don't worry at all. its good car, otherwise choose WagonR If you do more city driving else Santro is good because Santro has edge over WagonR in highway.

Regards,

Ravi.

[Jaggu]

first time buyer, let me make it more easy for you, i will only eliminate one and wouldnt add any for confusion sake.

Stick to Hyundai & Maruti for a "slightly better overall experience".

If you want detailed inputs and other options, put up your detailed requirements for forum members to comment.

[shajufx]

justchells, I would advise you to go for wagon R Lxi with the following reasons derived from my own comparisons and decision which took me 3 months:

1. Wagon R Lxi is a very comfortable car when it comes to driving in the city, bumper to bumper traffic, tight parking spots etc.
2. It gives the best service back up, availability of spares all around the country, economical maintenance, better fuel efficiency, better engine performance and the new immobiliser fitted in the car as standard feature.
3. Space and seating comfort better than any other cars of the segment.
4. Overall look might not appeal to everyone, but you can make changes to that with a pleasing and attractive alloy and a broader tire (165/60 R13 or 175/60/R13) depending on your highway use etc.

I dont work for maruti. But I need to be sincere in making a comment. I have test driven all 3 you have mentioned above. Except the gear box smoothness of santro, I didnt find anything better on santro and Xeta. Gear box is very common subject for all reviews, but you will get used to it as days pass, which will also be ignored with the other positives.

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[navdeep]

You have not mentioned your requirements , going with normal requirements. WagonR is my pick.

[NOTORIOUS]

Originally Posted by invincible7

a question here.. does Santro comes with ABS... i think they dont.. correct me if its wrong..

Yeah they have a ABS option with XO model

[justchells]

Originally Posted by Eddy

Any reasons whay are you not considering Zen Estilo, Spark and the Swift ?

Good question!

Zen Estilo - I haven't really considered, but there is no particular reason why. I read in reviews that this car is just like a WagonR but made to look good on the outside. Considering that WagonR has been in the market longer, I felt it would be a better bet. But if there is any good reason to choose this car over WagonR, please do let me know.

Spark - It hasn't yet come to Bangalore and when I enquired with the showroom, they told me its coming in Aug, which is too late for me.

Swift - Out of my budget which is 4.5L (on-road price and accessories)

[justchells]

Originally Posted by abhilashvk

You have not mentioned whether you will be driving in the city or highways , based on which you can decide to opt for ABS or not.

Mostly for city driving. But I would like to take the car on highways at least once a month. In that case, will ABS be required?

[hrag]

How long do you plan to keep the car? I have no idea about the resale value of a petrol Indica but I don't think its high either.

The Indica will spoil you for space and give good performance but will almost certainly have small niggles. My Indica petrol has had its share of niggles but the car itself has never let me down in 78000 km.

Jaggu is also right in saying the overall experience is better with Maruti or Hyundai for a first time buyer. Having owned a Maruti as my first car, I completely agree with this.

[Eddy]

Originally Posted by justchells

Good question!

Zen Estilo - I haven't really considered, but there is no particular reason why. I read in reviews that this car is just like a WagonR but made to look good on the outside. Considering that WagonR has been in the market longer, I felt it would be a better bet. But if there is any good reason to choose this car over WagonR, please do let me know.

Zen Estilo has the "love it " or "hate it" kinda looks. So if you are comfortable with slightly feminish looks of the car, I suggest you go for it. It felt a little more refined than the WagonR when i drove it. Since it is on the same platform, the reliability factor will be similar to wagonR.

Also in Lxi version, Zen has front PW while WagonR doesnt.

Plus it is a new car so you feel a little more pleasant while owning one.

But you should test drive both the cars and see your comfort level, especially with Estilo's space, which some ppl think is slighlty less than the WagonR